Veg out!

While people go to Rada for the famous "Rada Sisig," I go there for something else.

In the 3rd Jollijeep to the left of the sisig place, there's a merienda fare that I just can't get enough of.

Veggie balls!

It's a cross between a takoyaki and a fishball. It's light, flavorful, and filling. Especially when you smother it with sauce.

THIS is my go-to-food in Rada.

LFLTAT: Loose it!

One of my English pet peeves is when people interchange "loose" and "lose." This is one of those instances when the lesson "one vowel can make all the difference" comes into play.

It's not uncommon to read things like: "Loose myself" or "Lose lips," and it just so gets my goat.

Now that's out of the way, let's talk about a Look For Less Than A Thousand that inspired this soliloquy.

On a routine visit to Surplus Shop, there were 2 items that quickly caught my eye. Aside from the color and cut, the ease and loose vibe of the pieces made them must-buys.

First, this loose, striped blouse.

Second, an easy-breezy twill skirt.

Together, it's an outfit that's summer ready because of it's "loose" and easy vibe. Actually, this look reminds me of what young, Japanese women wear during summer in Tokyo.

You can't lose with an outfit like this.

Cold Shoulder-to-Shoulder

The "Cold Shoulder" trend in clothing doesn't look like it's going out anytime soon. Fast fashion brands, department stores, even my usual haunts, carry lots of pieces from this trend.

Not surprisingly, during Baby Noah's baptism last weekend, my sisters and sister-in-law ended up wearing variations of this fashion theme.

They look good standing cold-shoulder-to-shoulder together.

A lost Sole

Literally.

Found this random sole lying on the pavement. And it was such an odd and photo worthy occurrence.

Now I'm wondering who the poor soul is who lost his sole.

One family, Two parts of the world!

The past 2 weeks was so special. Not only did we get to spend time with the first Morales grandson, we got to spend time with Jen's family as well. Her Mom, Renee, and sister, Steph, went to Manila with her and we banded together to show them some good, ole Filipino hospitality.

Judging by how they want to come back to Manila again soon, I think we succeeded in making them feel at home on the other side of the world.

FMM: Janney to Johnny

I've got a Janney hangover, so today's Friday Magic Madness song is influenced by her. In some strange form.

Presenting, Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode!"



Go, Johnny, Go, Go!

And go, Janney, Go, Go!

Janney come lately

I've always been a big fan of Allison Janney. From the first movie I saw her in - The Ice Storm - to her broad and beautiful body of work, she always had a way of disappearing into her character and engaging us in every role she brings to life.

Primary Colors, The Object of My Affection, American Beauty, 10 Things I Hate About You, Hairspray, Juno, The Help - I could go on and on. Her body of work shows how versatile she is.

That said, I've always thought that she was an underrated actress, and not recognized enough for her work. But I think that'll change with this year's "I, Tonya."

She already brought home an award for this role at the recent BAFTAs.

And I reckon this is just the first of many, many, many awards that she'll bring home.

Oh Crape!

"Crepe" - the fabric - should be a fairly easy word to spell, right?

Apparently not!

Proofreader, please!

Blame the name

Oh look! There's a candy named after a head scar!

Really?

Someone should sit in my class on making name studies.

Noah showing!

Baby Noah's big day - starting life as a Catholic - was a solemn, intimate and family affair. It was great to see him surrounded by the love of family as we welcomed him into the Christian world.

The same could be said about his reception merienda. It was filled with cute, little details that celebrated his prince-ly stature.

From the cake that Dexter's made, to the little souvenirs that Ate Lissa and I made.

To the yummy and adorable cupcakes from Ia.

And the decor that Mark, Kevin and I put up.

We're looking forward to many more occasions with our adorable first grandson.

Yes, Noah!

Today we welcome the first Morales grandchild to the Christian world.

And what best way to mark the occasion with an absolutely, positively, undeniably adorbz photo of our baby boy!

Welcome to the Christian World, Noah!

Light it up!

As expected, the malls are in full force as we celebrate Chinese New Year!

Just look at all the fireworks happening simultaneously.

Gong Xi Fai Cai!

FMM: Hole lotta fun!

Today is Chinese New Year! And I thought of playing a Friday Magic Madness song that has some reference to the occasion.

Good thing, there's Cyndi Lauper! One of my all-time favorite artists.

She had this 1988 song called "Hole in my Heart." And when asked where the hole leads to?



It leads all the way to China!

Mission accomplished!

Panth... Panth...

The trailer for Black Panther looks breathtaking!



I'm not gonna miss this!

Jill-ing me softly

Since I missed 2 collaborations from Macy's, I've been very mindful of the Department Store and often check their site. It's my way of tracking whether they have new and upcoming designer collaborations.

And they do have one this spring!

Jill Stuart!

Because it's a Spring/Summer collection, there were a lot of soft, flowy clothes in pastels and flowers. And this dress is one of my favorites from the lot.

Plus, she added some elegant evening wear into the mix. Such as this black, structured gown.

Days like this, I wish there was a Macy's store nearby.

Dog gone it!

My first time to try this Korean french fry covered corn dog was in Seoul, a few years ago.

A few months ago, I found out that they also sold it in SM Makati. Today, I decided to try their version of this calorie-laden snack.

Frankly, it looks better than it tastes. This one was too greasy, mushy and the hotdog was unbelievably small.

Nope, not going to do this again.

Band of newbies

When we shot our commercial last week, I took this snap of some of our new blood.

Don't they look good enough to be a band?

Well, they all seem to be into music, so that's not too far an idea.

I'm on the Ege

This photo just left me speechless.

Really? It's that difficult to spell "Agency"?

Proofreader, please!

Fifteen!

Nope, this post isn't about that Taylor Swift song.

But hey, I do like the song so let's start with that.



Now, what's this really about? I just found out this week that it's been 15 years since I started teaching part time. And I got an award for it!

Cheesy as it may seem, but teaching alone is rewarding in itself. This is just a bonus.

FMM: Shiver me Timberlake

Since everyone's talking about Justin Timberlake's awesome Super Bowl halftime performance, today's Friday Magic Madness song goes back to where he began.

With InSync!

And one of their biggest hits, "Tearing up my heart."

Let me just say, Justin's gone a long, long, long, long way.

I de-Claire

Whenever Claire is in town from NYC, we always make sure to meet up and catch up over good food and even greater laughs.

And it was the same thing that happened tonight.

Claire! We should have this more often! (Meaning you should come home more often.)

Raise the Red Lantern 2

Not to be outdone, Shangrila Mall also has its own rendition of CNY decorations.

As always, their mantra seems to be: "Go big or go home." And they definitely went big with this breathtaking cascade of red lanterns.

I think Shangrila won this one.

Pretty. Random. Two.

Another random shot that turned out to be really nice:

Amazing how one can find beauty in the most ordinary of things.

Sketchy Stories: Rolling in the deep neckline

Last November, I wrote about this pretty brocade fabric from Fanbi. It had a bird and feather print, set on a rich, brocade fabric.

The question in my mind was: "What can we do with this pretty fabric?" Since it's already very detailed, the design had to be simple, classic, but still with a touch of fashion.

Out came the sketch materials, and this was my take on what should be done with the fabric.

It's a column gown with a flared skirt and spaghetti straps. It's classy and classic, and won't distract from the beautiful fabric.

But to add a touch of fashion, I made the neckline really, really deep. This also serves another purpose - as a breaker from the rich print. The sliver of skin gives the eye some respite from the brocade.

Showed it to the dressmaker and she automatically got my vision.

The result, this beautiful column gown.

Ate Bullet fell deeply in love with this one. And I can't blame her.

Raise the Red Lantern

SM Megamall is definitely upping its mall display game!

This installation at the entrance reminds me of how Harbour City would dress up their entrance for CNY!

It's one of those times when it's good to see red.

A proposition

Yes, just one word can ruin your entire signage.

It's "relief FOR abdominal pains," not "IN."

Proofreader, please.

FMM: Escapism

Shocker of the day!

Just found out that one of Janet Jackson's hit songs - which is also one of my super favorites - is almost 30 years old!

Yup, next year will be the 30th birthday of "Escapade."

Despite this age, both the song and music video still look fun and fresh until now. And it's still as danceable as ever. So, what are we waiting for. As her lyrics so eagerly invited us:

Let's go!

ES-CA-PADE

Moon the audience

Yup, we got to see the Blood Moon yesterday.

(Though my puny camera couldn't capture its bloodiness.)